JNN 21 Nov 2013 DUBAI – The United States aircraft producer Boeing announced on Sunday, the first day of the 13th Dubai Airshow, that Gulf airline carriers ordered a total of 342 passenger planes valued at 100 billion U.S. dollars.

The airlines included Dubai’s state-owned Emirates Airline and its low-cost carrier FlyDubai, Eithad Airways from Abu Dhabi and Qatar Airways.

Boeing announced the orders of the 777X planes at a joint media conference with the airlines, while Etihad announced in a separate media briefing the purchase of the jetliners as well as Boeing 787- 10 Dreamliners.

Etihad Airways’ chief executive James Hogan announced the carrier would buy 25 new Boeing 777s valued at 25.2 billion dollars.

The deal included 777-8X, the latest version of the 777-series, making Etihad the first airline to order the new version which Boeing launched in April this year. Etihad also ordered 30 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft. The latter order increased Boeing’s backlog for dreamliner to 1,000 sold units. Etihad also ordered one 777-200 freighter plane.

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Albaker said the Doha-based state-owned carrier would order 50 Boeing 777-9Xs for 18.9 billion dollars. Albaker said the 777 has been the backbone of the carrier ‘s fleet.

Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed and Albaker said their orders would secure over 100,000 jobs in the American and Emirati civil aviation industry over the next decade. Hogan said with order of the Boeing wide-body generation planes would bring the Etihad Airways to the next level.